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Brij Patel, co-founder of Fetch Storage, a business specializing in valet self-storage services in the Boston metropolitan area, believes the future of the storage industry is tied to customer convenience and itemized inventory that can be managed online. Founded in 2010, Fetch offers warehouse storage space by the cubic foot as well as pickup and delivery services. The company is working to expand its inventory-management system.

“What gets me really excited about the future of storage is that there’s all this stuff sitting in thousands of storage facilities around the country, but no one’s really tracking what’s coming in and going out. Since Fetch inventories each item, we have some basic info about what’s being stored, and we are working on an inventory system where customers will be able to tag and then quickly search what they have, using keywords and maybe even photos,” Patel, 33, told the source. “All this info and data will empower customers to make much better storage decisions, instead of forgetting about all the stuff they’ve accumulated. And instead of promoting hoarding, this accessibility promotes a sharing community, where users can maybe borrow items from one another or ask for charity donations.”

The cost for Fetch storage space starts at $1 per cubic foot per month, with discounts given for larger storage footprints. For example, using 70 cubic feet of storage, which could include some furniture and a few boxes, would cost $62 per month—an 11 percent savings, according to the company’s website. Customers may use their own boxes, purchase boxes from Fetch or rent sturdier, 3-cubic-foot bins for $4 per month.

The company offers free delivery of items as long as belongings can be delivered to the customer within one hour. Distance or retrieval of multiple items may incur charges of $25 for each additional 15 minutes beyond the first hour, according to the Fetch website. The company currently stores more than 10,000 items at a temperature-controlled warehouse a few miles outside of Boston, the source reported.

Fetch also promotes that it donates 1 percent of revenue to help “dogs in need.”